Ted, What I saw him doing was pointing out the absurdity of Robertson's claim.......which you seem to want to ignore.
It's a non-issue, but since you keep wanting to bring it up ...
It is an issue because some part of you believes that God does speak to Robertson and that He's already called the election.
Pat Robertson's claim might or might not be true. To me, the issue is, "So what?" If Bush wins or not, what's the big deal? Either way, we'll still have the same old bureaucracy and partisanship in Washington.
It is a big deal because his policies do not reflect a the belief system of a large number of people in this country. We will see the size of that group in the next election.
Most people can decide for themselves whether to follow Pat Robertson or not ... just like most people can decide for themselves whether to follow Nicolas de Genova's call for a "million Mogadishus," or whether to believe the Malaysian PM when he says "Jews rule the world by proxy."
People are horribly naive when it comes to the issue of God. If they are religious, they very much want proof that He exists and is in contact with us. Of course, he is in contact with us but not in the way religious types hope he is.
I think where there's an analogy is in the fanaticism of the two men. I think if Jesus were here he'd tell Gibson to lighten up ...
Mel's movie is a strict interpretation of the Four Gospels which have been passed down over two millenia. I don't know how you can "lighten up" on that profound message.
That "profound message" was written by humans who tended to be zealots, uneducated and full of superstition. To take it all literally is a mistake. Its also only about the last hours of Christ's life.
The reality is that Jesus's ministry was not about torture and death but about life and its potential goodness. How sick that Gibson dwells mostly on the former, not the latter. How disturbed that he accentuates the drama of Jesus's ending in a way that is horribly graphic.
Of course, I don't know that for sure since neither God nor Jesus talk to me. However, their angels do.......but then they tend to be a little cryptic and not very verbose.......and certainly, never try to call an election nor my chances at blackjack. Then again, they are not God.
There's a separate lesson to be learned here ... but I'll save it for another time.
Who is it that needs to learn the lesson?
ted |
